The Hidden Tax on Warehouses, Carriers, and Drivers

A new look at eliminating the wait by bringing drop and hook to everyone by fractionalizing asset usage for both shippers and carriers.

Detention is often treated as a line item, a nuisance fee, or a “cost of doing business.” In reality, it’s a systemwide drain that quietly erodes margins, predictability, and morale across the entire supply chain. When a truck waits at a dock longer than planned, the warehouse loses flow, the carrier loses utilization, and the driver loses legal drive time. In an industry where efficiency determines profitability, those minutes compound into real dollars — and real frustration.

The Warehouse Impact: Operational Drag and Rising Cost per Unit

Every extra hour a trailer sits on a dock forces warehouses into reactive mode. Labor stands idle or gets reallocated. Outbound loads back up. Yard congestion grows. The ripple effect touches procurement, production timing, and customer fulfillment. When cycle time expands unpredictably, warehouses compensate with overtime labor, safety-stock padding, and buffer schedules — all of which inflate cost per unit. Detention doesn’t just slow a shift; it undermines predictable operations across the network.

The Carrier Impact: Shrinking Capacity and Squeezed Margins

For carriers, detention is a capacity killer. A truck tied up for an extra two hours can turn one fewer local run, one fewer regional delivery, or fail to make a high-priority pickup altogether. In markets like Kansas City, where a truck’s economic value is often $400+ per operational hour, those delays directly bleed into margins. Fleets end up dispatching rescue trucks, burning extra fuel, and resetting schedules — all avoidable outcomes driven by unpredictable dock times. Even when detention fees are billed, they rarely cover the true operational loss.

The Driver Impact: Lost Earnings and Lost Dignity

Drivers absorb the deepest loss. Time at a standstill is time they can’t legally drive or earn. Roughly 30% of a driver’s available hours evaporate to inefficiency, and detention is one of the primary culprits. That stolen time translates to fewer miles, lower weekly pay, missed family time, and greater fatigue. Every long wait chips away at the human being behind the wheel — and you can’t rebuild reliability on the backs of burned-out drivers.

A Better Way Forward: Restoring Time and Predictability

This is exactly why NoDwell exists. Instead of accepting detention as inevitable, we streamline the short-haul ecosystem around the warehouse. NoDwell connects shippers, carriers, and brokers to available local trucks for on-demand moves, yard management, and trailer repositioning — giving warehouses flexibility and giving fleets their time back. By eliminating unnecessary waits and increasing trailer flow, we restore 15–20% of lost driver availability, stabilize daily operations, and empower human beings to work predictable days with higher earnings.

Conclusion: Eliminating Waste Creates Predictability for All

Detention is solvable. With the right visibility, the right capacity model, and real-time access to local trucks, the industry can shift from reactive firefighting to proactive planning. Warehouses move freight more smoothly. Carriers utilize assets more effectively. Drivers get paid for their time and return home on schedule. Eliminating the wait isn’t just a slogan — it’s a path to a healthier, more predictable supply chain.